Daylight Saving Ends Nov 1: The After-Hours Security Checklist for Los Angeles Properties
On Sunday, November 1, 2026, the clocks fall back and Los Angeles loses an hour of evening daylight. Sunset moves to around 5 PM, which means parking lots, garages, mail rooms and back entrances go dark while tenants and residents are still coming home, and hours before most properties have anyone checking on them. For property managers, the end of daylight saving time is the start of the highest-risk stretch of the year for after-hours security.
Why the Time Change Matters for Property Security
Darkness changes the math for anyone looking for an easy target. Economists Jennifer Doleac and Nicholas Sanders studied what happens when an hour of evening daylight disappears. Their research, published in The Review of Economics and Statistics, found that extra evening daylight reduces robberies by about 7% overall, and by 27% in the hours right around sunset.
Flip that around and the picture is clear: when the sun sets an hour earlier, the riskiest window of the day lands right in the middle of the evening commute, when garages and lobbies are busiest and front desks are thinning out.
Your Property Is Unattended 118 Hours a Week
If your on-site team works 8 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Friday, that's 50 hours of coverage. A week has 168. Your property is on its own for the other 118 hours, which is 70% of the week. Cameras record what happens during those hours. They don't walk the property, test a door, or notice a burned-out light before it becomes a problem.
And once something goes wrong, recovering is hard. Only about 11% of commercial burglaries are ever cleared, which is why prevention, not cleanup, is where your security budget does the most work.
The 10-Point After-Hours Security Checklist for LA Property Managers
Run through this list before November 1, then again in early December when LA's sunsets are at their earliest.
Lighting and visibility
- Walk the property after dark, not during the day. Daytime inspections miss the problems that only show up at night.
- Replace burned-out fixtures in parking areas, stairwells, alleys and trash enclosures. A single dark corner is enough to give someone cover.
- Reset timers and photocells for the earlier sunset so exterior lights come on before dusk, not after.
Doors, gates and access
- Physically test every exterior door, roll-up door and vehicle gate to confirm it closes and latches on its own.
- Check that garage and pedestrian gates aren't being propped open by tenants, vendors or delivery drivers.
- Update access codes and remove former tenants, contractors and staff from access lists.
Parking, garages and mail rooms
- Look for signs of loitering or people sleeping in stairwells, landings and garage corners.
- Secure mail and package rooms ahead of holiday delivery season, which starts right after the time change.
Coverage and documentation
- Map exactly which hours your property has nobody on site, including weekends and holidays.
- Make sure every after-hours check is documented with time-stamped photos, so you have proof for owners, insurers and boards if anything happens.
Cameras vs. Patrols vs. Guards: What Covers the Dark Hours?
| Option | What it does after dark | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Security cameras | Record incidents; usually reviewed after the fact | Evidence and deterrence alongside other coverage |
| Drive-by patrol | A quick pass from a vehicle, often a few minutes | Very low-risk sites that need a visible presence |
| On-foot mobile patrol checks | An officer parks, walks the property, tests doors and gates, and documents each check | Office buildings, retail centers, HOAs and apartment communities that are unattended at night |
| Dedicated security guard | A full-time officer stationed on site for the whole shift | High-traffic or high-risk sites that need constant presence |
For most commercial buildings and residential communities, a dedicated guard for all 118 unattended hours is more coverage than the property needs. That's where scheduled on-foot patrol checks fit. Read our full comparison of security guards vs. mobile patrol in Los Angeles.
How Aable's Mobile Patrol Covers the Hours After Dark
Aable's mobile patrol officers don't drive by. Each patrol is a documented 20-minute check on foot: the officer parks, walks your checkpoints, tests doors and gates, checks parking areas and garages, and flags lighting problems. You get a photo report in real time, the moment the check ends.
Checks can be scheduled across the evening and overnight hours, from the post-sunset rush to the quiet hours before dawn, nightly or twice nightly. Learn more about our mobile patrol security in Los Angeles.
We currently patrol Santa Monica, West LA, Brentwood, Palms, Mar Vista, Mid-Wilshire and Mid-City. Aable Security has been securing LA since 1998, holds California PPO license #13693, and carries $2M in general liability insurance. Since 1998, we've protected 500+ commercial properties across Los Angeles, for clients including Starbucks, Fox Sports, East West Bank and Holiday Inn Express.
Who this is for
- Commercial property managers: office buildings, retail centers and business parks.
- HOA boards and apartment communities.
- Parking lots and garages.
Get your patrol route set up before the clocks fall back
Book a free site survey and we'll map your property's checkpoints and the hours that need coverage. Prefer to call? (310) 652-8700.
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PPO #13693 | $2M General Liability Insured | Securing LA Since 1998